Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile

This is a nice children's book which depicted some ideas about the Liberian culture, as well as followed a familiar story line with a lesson.

Such a fun book

Son likes this story

My child had fun reading this book.

When he was a preschooler we used to act this out and pretend to be the two characters. It's a funny story, and I loved how Mrs. Chicken gets kind of snarky at the end when she finally escapes.

This is a trickster type of tale. I guess tricksters are often traditionally narcissists. It's a traditional story from the Dan people in the vicinity of Liberia in Africa.A chicken is bathing in a puddle. She wants to see the reflection of her wings, but the puddle is too small, so she goes to the river to take a bath. She gets captured by a female crocodile, who for some reason takes her home instead of immediately eating her. When they enter Crocodile's home, Chicken escapes and flies up into the rafters and refuses to come down. Crocodile says, "I'm going to eat you! Come down!" Chicken says, "Don't eat me! We're sisters!" Crocodile says, "Fine, I'll fatten you up and eat you later."In between laying on her eggs, Crocodile feeds Chicken grain. Chicken lays her own eggs. Crocodile is getting hungrier and thinner, and Chicken is getting fatter. The night before their eggs are all about to simultaneously hatch in a massive coincidence, Chicken secretly trades eggs with Crocodile. The next day when the chicken eggs in Crocodile's nest hatch, Crocodile (a complete idiot) freaks out and goes, "Oh no! Why do my babies look so stupid! I guess we were totally sisters!" And Chicken says, "And you almost ate me!" Crocodile says, "And your babies look so much like me!" Chicken says, "I got an idea, why don't we trade babies!" "Oh, thanks! That's a great idea! I'll see you later!" And Chicken says, "No you won't!" and then leaves.Why do stories where the clever person wins always seem to end up with the clever person lying, and the other person being phenomenally stupid?? Why does a trickster have to completely, full-on, lie? There's nothing clever about lying to an idiot. I don't understand that. Is it funny for people to be idiots?And after the book ends, Crocodile and her babies all starve to death. Hilarious!Message: Crocodiles are idiots.For more children's book reviews, see my Amazon profile for my website.

I have known and admired one of the authors, storyteller and writer Meg Lippert, for many years. So I was delighted to learn of her several collaborations with Liberian storyteller Won-Ldy Paye and illustrator Julie Paschkis. This Liberian folktale tells how a chicken mistakes the shape of a crocodile submersed in the water for her own reflection; when she gets closer to investigate, the crocodile grabs her and takes her to the crocodile's house to eat her. But the chicken reverses the deception with a trick of her own - and has the last laugh. This story is a perfect choice for a picture book. The double-trickster tale could feel cold and unsatisfying in the wrong hands. But the bold, cheery and dramatic illustrations do a skillful job of lifting the mood while conveying the sense of an African esthetic. Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile is a tale with a non-European flavor. As such, it can take some (probably small) adjustment of expectations for a mainstream North American or European audience. But that is also part of its value. This book gives us in the dominant society a small glimpse into a culture different from our own. It does so with wit and artistry. And the under-hen wins!

When I read this book to my daughter she laughed at the twist in the story. Suitable for 3-5 year old kids.